Pre-eclampsia is a syndrome of hypertension, edema, and proteinuria that affects 5 to 10% of pregnancies and results in substantial maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Pre-eclampsia accounts for at least 200,000 maternal deaths worldwide per year. The symptoms of pre-eclampsia typically appear after the 20th week of pregnancy and are usually detected by routine measuring of the woman's blood pressure and urine. However, these monitoring methods are ineffective for diagnosis of the syndrome at an early stage, which could reduce the risk to the subject or developing fetus, if an effective treatment were available.
Currently there are no known cures for pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia can vary in severity from mild to life-threatening. A mild form of pre-eclampsia can be treated with bed rest and frequent monitoring. For moderate to severe cases, hospitalization is recommended and blood pressure medication or anticonvulsant medications to prevent seizures are prescribed. If the condition becomes life threatening to the mother or the baby the pregnancy is terminated and the baby is delivered pre-term.
The proper development of the fetus and the placenta is mediated by several growth factors or angiogenic factors. Careful regulation of angiogenic and mitogenic signaling pathways is critical for maintaining appropriate proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis by trophoblast cells in the developing placenta. While several of these factors, such as VEGF and PlGF, have been identified, there are still many proteins for which a role in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia or eclampsia has not yet been identified.
There is a need for methods of accurately diagnosing subjects at risk for or having pregnancy related hypertensive disorders, such as pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, particularly before the onset of the most severe symptoms. A treatment that would save maternal and fetal lives and prevent premature deliveries is also needed.